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Microsoft will introduce a system for fighting software piracy with its upcoming Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn Server operating systems, the company said today.

Called the Microsoft Software Protection Platform, it's a collection of technologies that aims to do better at detecting pirated versions of Windows, and will also force unauthorised versions of its software into a limited-functionality mode, encouraging users to obtain a legal copy...

...Starting with Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn, which is expected to be released next year, companies will have to choose one of two options under the SPP program.

The first, primarily for smaller customers, is to be validated via the internet by receiving a Multiple Activation Key from a Microsoft server during installation.

The second option, geared toward larger companies, is to install a Microsoft-developed Key Management Service on an internal server to validate PCs during the installation process and every 180 days thereafter. The KMS application will also encrypt the licence keys and hide them on the server, according to Microsoft...

We crack microsofts software, what makes them think that using their protection will help at all? Doing something such as this will only ensure that all companies that take part in the program will have the same process to be cracked. Do it once and it's done. Does this really seem like a good idea? Even if it weren't that simple all software, by nature will always have the ability to and will be cracked.

First, a bit of background. A long while ago I was poor and couldn't afford stuff for my computer - so I did what was necessary to be able to use my computer. Now I'm in a better position financially, so I take a different position on this. "Situational morality"

You asked:

We crack microsofts software, what makes them think that using their protection will help at all?

The answer is that "we" don't crack the software. Generally "we" use tools that others have developed to crack the software. This is an important distinction as the protection gets more complicated.

The more complicated a crack is - the less likely the average person will use it. So, eventually, either the crack will get too complicated to use - or it will be so easy to use that it'll be trackable (and defeatable) just because of it's popularity.

No software solution is perfect - neither security nor cracking. So there's ways around both. The "crackers" generally aren't officially supported and have limited resources to draw on, while the companies have a lot of resources to draw on. Most likely it will be those with the most resources that will win this fight.

Finally, the protection isn't designed to prevent all cracking. Otherwise, how would anyone be able to "backdoor" a problem when normal solutions didn't work? The protection serves a similar function to the lock on your front door. It will stop the casual user from breaking in, but isn't really inteneded to do anything about a determined foe.

It's just a sound business decision. If their protection stops (for example) 90% of the cracks - then it's a success (based on the resources that they've put into it). That last 10% will be much harder to stop than the first 90% - so that will take even more resources. And they've gotta draw the line somewhere - and in the business world it's simply a decision about profitability. If it costs too much to stop that 10% - then it's cheaper to let them do it than it is to fight them.

Edited by usasma, 12 October 2006 - 07:19 AM.

My browser caused a flood of traffic, sio my IP address was banned. Hope to fix it soon. Will get back to posting as soon as Im able.

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